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Advisory Group for Disability Issues – Meeting Summary – November 20, 2018

Table of Contents


On November 20th and 21st, 2018, Elections Canada convened the Advisory Group for Disability Issues for a two-day meeting. The following members were present:

  • René Binet
  • Gary Birch
  • Kory Earle
  • Shelley Fletcher
  • Frank Folino
  • Laurence Parent
  • Christopher T. Sutton
  • Donna Jodhan

Jewelles Smith from the Council of Canadians with Disabilities and Michael Ciarciello also attended the meeting as observers.

The meeting was co-chaired by Susan Torosian, Executive Director, Policy and Public Affairs, and Dani Srour, Senior Director, Operations and Field Governance. It was moderated by Lise Hebabi, a third-party facilitator.

1. Introductory Remarks by the CEO and Round Table

Stéphane Perrault, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, opened the meeting by welcoming all participants on behalf of EC and thanked members for their ongoing commitment to the Advisory Group. Mr. Perrault then gave an overview of the activities that Elections Canada would undertake in the lead-up to the 2019 general election. He also discussed how some of the anticipated legislative changes would improve services at the polls for people with disabilities. Mr. Perrault concluded his remarks by opening the floor to comments and questions from Advisory Group members. Given recent provincial and municipal elections, members were also invited to share any insight about their voting experience, if they had participated in elections in other jurisdictions.

During the round-table discussion, members raised the importance of having effective training for election officers on accessibility in the upcoming election to ensure that workers are familiar with all of the accessibility services and tools available and know how to assist electors who need accommodation. They also spoke about the benefits of assistive technology at the polls, having interpreters on site on election day, and having clear accessible signage on election day and advanced polls. They also advised EC to raise awareness about accessibility through all stages of the election, not just in relation to election day.

2. Accessibility Policy and Service Offering

Susan Torosian, Executive Director, Policy and Public Affairs, presented the Accessibility Policy and Service Offering for People with Disabilities. The document was developed ahead of the 2015 general election and was revised to clarify Elections Canada’s commitments on accessibility and reflect the new accessibility services and tools that will be rolled out in 2019. Key updates included the segmentation of the original document into two separate portions: the policy and the service offering.

Overall, Advisory Group members were supportive of the updates to the document. However, they requested that EC better articulate the processes and requirements related to getting help at the polls, whether related to vouching, marking the ballot or needing an interpreter. Committee members also stressed the importance of communicating this information both to electors and poll workers.

3. Accessibility Tools at the Polls

Patrick Therrien, Chief, Targeted Outreach, Operations and Field Governance, presented the new accessibility tools that are being introduced in the 2019 general election, which include a larger pencil for marking ballots and a signature guide to help electors sign their name. Mr. Therrien also presented the prototype tactile braille voting template that is being used in by-elections, while the tactile template that will be used in the general election is in production. In conclusion, he also explained that EC will continue to use existing tools from the last general election; namely, the voting screen that allows maximum light, the magnifiers with light, large print lists of candidates and braille lists of candidates. Members were then invited to view these products at a kiosk, during breaks.

Advisory Group members welcomed the opportunity to provide feedback and noted the importance of informing electors about these accessibility tools.

4. Polling Place Accessibility

Sophie Martineau, Assistant Director, Polling Location Management Services, Operations and Field Governance, reported on the review of potential polling places for the general election that returning officers conducted between April and October 2018. For this activity, returning officers were tasked with evaluating the suitability of potential polling places by considering accessibility, familiarity as well as proximity. On accessibility, Ms. Martineau noted that 94% of the potential polling places that returning officers surveyed either met or could be modified to meet the 15 mandatory accessibility criteria. With respect to sites that did not meet the minimum accessibility requirements, Elections Canada is working with returning officers to ensure that electors with disabilities have access to proper voting locations. On familiarity, Ms. Martineau noted that the types of polling places will likely mirror those from the last election (community/recreational centres, educational institutions, commercial centres, religious institutions, etc.). Additionally, she noted that returning officers also increased the number of advance polls by over 1,000, to make voting more accessible for electors from a proximity perspective and potentially making the lines and wait times shorter. As a next step, returning officers will be beginning to identify their election offices (including on post-secondary campuses), for which they will also need to complete an accessibility evaluation.

Advisory Group members raised the importance of clearly communicating to electors whether or not a polling location is accessible, and what it means for a polling place to be accessible. They also highlighted the importance of using appropriate symbols to communicate the different services available at polling places, given that some electors will not associate their type of accommodation with the wheelchair symbol on the voter information card.

5. Online Services for Voters

Susan Torosian presented on several online tools that will be available for the 2019 general election. First, she described an online tool that will allow voters to determine what voting options are available to them if they wish to vote early at a local Elections Canada office or on at a post-secondary campus. In addition to listing the different voting options for electors, this mobile-friendly tool with also help electors to plan their route using information on public transportation. She further noted that this aligns with EC’s increased efforts to promote early voting options.

Ms. Torosian also described planned enhancements to the Voter Information Service, where electors will find the information they need to vote on advance polling days and election day. Electors will enter their postal code in the online application and they will find information about their riding, including: election dates, lists of candidates with a link to their websites, contact information for their returning officer, as well as addresses for their polling place (with a Google Maps link). The Voter Information Service will continue to provide information on how each site meets each of the accessibility requirements. EC will encourage electors to check this information, so they can make an alternative plan to vote if an accessibility feature they need is not available at their polling location. The Voter Information Service will, for the first time, also provide a link to candidates’ websites provided that information is provided to EC by the candidate.

Advisory Group members asked for clarification regarding the accessibility formats used on the Elections Canada website (WGAC/AA instead of AAA). It was clarified that while EC will use AA standards through the general election, AAA standard remains an objective for the organization.

6. Legislative updates: Bill C-76

Robert Sampson, Legal Counsel, Legal Services, updated Advisory Group members on the status of Bill C-76, which at the time of the meeting was before the Senate for review. Mr. Sampson explained that if enacted, Bill C-76 would improve the accessibility of the electoral process by making the following changes to the Canada Elections Act:

  • Terminology – The Act currently requires polling stations and local Elections Canada offices to be situated in “level access” premises; Bill C-76 would require premises to be “accessible to electors with disabilities”.
  • Voter assistance – Assistance will be available to electors irrespective of their type of disability, and the Act will be harmonized to allow assistance by an election officer, friend or family member in all cases. Family members can assist more than one person in their family; friends or ‘helpers’ including support workers, can only assist one elector in marking a ballot.
  • Transfer certificates – A new process for applying for a transfer certificate will make it easier for electors with disabilities to transfer to a more accessible polling station when the polling station to which they are assigned does not meet their accessibility needs.
  • Pilot Projects and Research Mandate – decrease the level of parliamentary approval required for testing an alternative electronic voting process. In addition, the bill will create a mandate for elections Canada to “develop, obtain or adapt” assistive voting technology.
  • Identification – vouching and use of the voter information card as a form of identification for establishing proof of address are reinstated in the Act.
  • Political Financing - Candidates will be able to pay for costs relating to either their own disability, or relating to caring for another person with a disability, out of their own funds (rather than campaign funds) and receive a reimbursement of up to 90 percent of those costs.

Advisory Group members drew attention to the fact that as support workers are treated in the same manner as ‘friends’ in the law, the provision stating that they may only assist one elector in marking a ballot may be a significant limitation for support workers who often support several clients at once. Recognizing that getting assistance from a poll worker remains an option in such cases, they raised this as an issue to watch. Members requested that EC clarify the process for providing assistance at the polls and that this information be communicated to electors.

There were also questions on how EC would administer candidates’ expense claims related to accessibility. EC advised members that the disability community would be consulted and that parties would also be briefed on the provisions of the act following the meeting.

7. Accessibility Guidance to Political Parties

Susan Torosian presented a first draft of the newly developed factsheet for political parties on accessibility. The objective of the factsheet is to encourage parties and candidates to involve more citizens in campaigns by becoming more accessible. The goal of the session was to validate whether topics included in the factsheet accurately represent the content that Advisory Group members would expect to see in a document that provides guidance to parties and candidates on accessible campaigns.

The feedback received by members was generally positive. Recommendations included positioning voting as a right for all Canadians, including those living with a disability and including statistics about the number of potential voters that political participants can reach if they are more accessible. Advisory Group members also noted that adjusting the length and formatting of the document would improve the effectiveness of the document.

8. Community Relations Officer Program

Patrick Therrien, Chief, Targeted Outreach, Operations and Field Governance, provided an overview of the role of Community Relations Officers (CROs) during an election. He explained that CROs act as a liaison between groups of electors facing barriers to registration and voting and the returning officer, as a way of helping to reduce informational barriers among these groups. He further noted that in addition to being able to appoint CROs for youth, indigenous, persons with disabilities and ethnocultural communities, returning officers will have the ability to appoint a CRO for official languages and one for voting on campus in the 2019 election.

Advisory Group members inquired about the possibility of appointing a CRO for accessibility in each electoral district; EC clarified that CRO appointments are at the discretion of the returning officers but that they are all encouraged to have a CRO for accessibility. Members also expressed interest in assisting Elections Canada in identifying potential CROs for the election.

9. Voter Information Campaign

Annie Desrosiers, Director, Voter Information Campaign, Policy and Public Affairs, updated members on the voter information campaign for the next general election, including on planned improvements to meet the information needs of persons with disabilities. She explained that there will be two stages to the campaign. The pre-writ campaign (during the summer of 2019) has first time voters as the main audience and will focus on ways to participate in the democratic process by working at an election, becoming a candidate and registering to vote. The second stage of the campaign involves a call to action with key messages on participation in the electoral process, registration, early voting, and voting on election day.

Advisory Group members stressed the importance of plain language communications on accessibility through the campaign.

10. Sharing Voter Information

Lisa Drouillard, Director, Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement, Policy and Public Affairs, led a discussion with Advisory Group members on engaging community organizations in amplifying the key messages of the voter information campaign. Ms. Drouillard also shared information about Inspire Democracy, Elections Canada’s stakeholder mobilization program, which aims to ensure that intervener organizations are equipped to share information about electoral participation with electors. Ms. Drouillard reminded Advisory Group members that intervener organizations can also play a key role in sharing information with electors about the products they have been consulted on such as Accessibility Policy and Service Offering, Accessibility Factsheet for Political Parties and Candidates, accessibility features at the polls, etc. Advisory Group members were advised that they would receive a request after the meeting asking them to identify specific outreach and engagement opportunities.

Advisory Group members agreed that community organizations could support the voter information campaign by sharing information on social media, sending emails and newsletters to their members, providing resources and tools for smaller organizations/venues, hosting meetings with EC, sharing information at their AGM’s, forums, etc. They also requested that EC targeted information packages in print, alternate formats and digital information that they could distribute.

11. Forward Calendar and Closing Remarks

Lisa Drouillard informed members that the spring 2019 meeting would most likely be the last one before the election and provided a preliminary list of topics for this meeting, which included: legislative updates, accessibility-related updates, and the election experience journal exercise. Advisory Group members were also advised that we would be seeking their input on the following topics before the next meeting: accessibility expenses for candidates and campaigns, information-sharing agreements, and the accessibility of the online registration system.

Susan Torosian closed the meeting and thanked members for their involvement in the Advisory Group for Disability Issues.

Appendix A: List of Elections Canada Participants

Stéphane Perrault, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada

Susan Torosian (co-chair), Executive Director, Policy and Public Affairs

Dani Srour (co-chair), Senior Director, Operations and Field Governance

Lisa Drouillard, Director, Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement, Policy and Public Affairs

Robert Sampson, Legal Counsel, Legal Services

Annie Desrosiers, Director, Voter Information Campaign, Policy and Public Affairs

Sophie Martineau, Assistant Director, Polling Location Management Services, Operations and Field Governance

Samy Agha, Manager, Policy and Parliamentary Affairs, Policy and Public Affairs

Anne-Marie Lalonde, Web Manager, Policy and Public Affairs

Patrick Therrien, Chief, Targeted Outreach, Operations and Field Governance

Nancy MacLeod, Senior Communications Strategist, Voter Information Campaign, Policy and Public Affairs

Josée Villeneuve, Senior Director, Electoral Integrity and Internal Audit

Wendy Larose, Manager, Regulatory Instruments Secretariat

Juan Melara-Pineda, Senior Outreach Officer, Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement, Policy and Public Affairs

Cyntia Henley, Outreach Officer, Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement, Policy and Public Affairs